The Friskies 2013 video contest!

The Friskies video contest is back! You can upload your awesome cat video (before noon ET July 15, 2013) at www.TheFriskies.com for a chance at $25,000 in case prizes! And while it’s true that “The Friskies” 2013 is a video contest, it also benefits rescue and shelter cats across the country. Friskies is helping 20 rescue organizations that dedicate their energies to finding loving, happy homes for cats across the nation – with lots of cat food! Specifically, Friskies is donating more than 250,000 cans of cat food to 20 partner animal rescue organizations. Each organization will receive a minimum of 7,500 cans and will have the opportunity to increase this donation (up to an additional 10,000 cans per charity) based on their overall participation.  We think that is can-tastic!

Friskies says: “But that’s not all, we also need your help! Look for special Friskies® messages on the Friskies Facebook and Twitter that will offer opportunities for our fans to TRIGGER an additional donation of 500 cans per charity (up to 50,000 cans total). Your support makes a real, living, purring difference. Thank you. Every cat counts.”

The Healing Power of Pets Dr. Marty Becker

dog-nurse-hatBonding with a pet may be more beneficial than you think. Here are just some of the amazing ways pets make our lives better! Have you ever noticed that you feel better when you spend time with pets? At Purina’s  Better with Pets Summit in New York City, Dr. Marty Becker, who you may know from Good Morning America and The Dr. Oz Show, spoke about the ways in which companion dogs and cats can have a positive impact on our health — both physically and emotionally.”From our hearts to our heads, from cradle to grave, pets are helping us live happier, healthier, and fuller lives,” said Becker. Here are just some of the ways that our companion dogs and cats help us each day.

Pets Encourage Physical Activity

It’s a given that having a pet can take you out of a sedentary lifestyle and encourage you to get out of the house. Dogs need to go outside for walks. Cats need exercise and playtime.

Friends can provide support when starting up an exercise routine, but nothing compares to the encouragement of a pet. “If you ever try to weasel out of exercising with your dog, there is going to be heck to pay,” said Becker.

Pets Encourage Social Interaction

Pets are social magnets. According to Becker, pets are the “cure for the common cold shoulder.”

Imagine taking a walk on crowded city streets. No one talks to you or even seems to notice your presence. Now imagine taking an adorable puppy down those same streets. You’ll get more people making comments, asking you questions, or stopping to talk to you than you ever would if you were walking alone.

Pets Reduce Stress

According to Becker, just by touching our pets we feel a surge of prolactin and oxytocin, hormones that can help us feel better. These same hormones can lower blood pressure and reduce stress. Having a pet can elevate serotonin and dopamine — hormones that lift depression — as well.

Our animals often know when we need them, too. Pets tend to draw near when you’re feeling blue to provide emotional support. And pets get the same benefits from petting. Becker calls this the “love loop.”

Pets Improve Health

Additionally, Becker notes that if you have a dog, you’re five times more likely to be alive a year after a heart attack. If you have a cat, you’re 40 percent less likely to suffer from a heart attack or stroke in the first place. Pets lower cholesterol, they mitigate migraines, and they act as health monitors for Parkinson’s disease and diabetic seizures. Research has even begun on some dogs who have the amazing ability to detect cancer.

Becker also notes that children who have a pet growing up are less likely to develop allergies, asthma, and eczema.

Simply put, our companion dogs and cats help us live healthier, happier lives. They provide unconditional love and ask for relatively little in return.

How amazing is that?

To-do list before a trip with your dog

pet-travel-tipsWhat’s on your packing and to-do list before a trip with your dog? Traveling with your dog can be an incredibly fun and memorable experience, if you’re well-prepared. But forgetting an important necessity or failing to take one of these steps ahead of time could turn that relaxing vacation into a travel nightmare! Check out these super-useful tips from our friends at PetParents shared for every well-prepared dog owner needs when traveling with their pooch.

What Breeds Tend to be Well-Suited to Apartment Life?

Purina-Dog-Content-BrandYou might automatically assume that a Great Dane won’t fare well in a city apartment. But if you’re choosing a breed to live with you in a small space, you’ll need to consider more than size. The amount a dog barks and its energy level are often even more important.

For example, quiet breeds such as the Samoyed or the English Bulldog might make great choices, while Border Collies and Dalmatians could require more exercise than you’re able to give them.

But remember—no matter what breed you choose, if you plan to keep a dog in a city apartment, you’ll need to take him for a lot of walks and give him plenty of mental stimulation.

We are thankful for…

What is your pet thankful for? We are thankful for so many things, including animal lovers and adopters like you… and Petcentric! For every new like of their Facebook page www.facebook.com/PetcentricbyPurina they’ll give thanks to rescues and shelters by donating $1 to Adopt-a-Pet.com – up to $50,000! Join the growing community of pet lovers and help share the giving spirit of the season!

Traveling across the Country – Just a Man and His Dog!

Imagine taking off, just you and your canine best friend, on a great adventure across the country.  That’s exactly what a blogger named Will and his dog Mr. Eko are doing. With the support of petcentric.com, they’ve set out on the road looking for adventure and trying to find the best pet-friendly destinations the country has to offer. Thanks to their blog, you can be right there with them…virtually, at least. You can suggest destinations for Will and Mr. Eko, and you might even get ideas for trips you and YOUR dog can take together! What a fun project!  Check it out at www.markingourterritory.com.

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Ways to help animals in need over the holidays

Our friends over at Petcentric.com have some great ideas of ways you can help animals in need over the holidays! The holiday season can be a wonderful time when we all come together with family and friends, and focus on fellowship and service to others including  abandoned animals in our communities. Many people take vacation around the holidays leaving animal shelters and rescue facilities understaffed. This is a wonderful time to volunteer your labor and skills to help animals in need. While you might not have the time the rest of the year, you can ask your local shelter if they need help with feeding, exercising or cleaning kennels — especially on the holiday days. If you have a large vehicle like an SUV or van, you might even be able to assist in the transport of animals. If the shelter is closed to the public or requires you be a trained volunteer to help on-site, you can offer to launder bedding, make fundraising calls, or organize adoption events at local businesses.

Photos & Videos. Animal shelters are often in need of a lot of professional services that they cannot afford to pay for. If you have experience photographing animals or making family videos, you can offer your one-time (or more!) service to photograph their animals for listing on adoption websites and promotional materials. Off-site adoption events are a great place to do this, as the shelter will have arranged for staff and volunteers to handle the pets, and you can focus on photographing and videoing them.

You can register on Adopt-a-Pet.com as a volunteer to be contacted by your local rescue, or search Volunteer Opportunities posted by your local shelters and rescues here:
www.adoptapet.com/get-involved

Donate Items or Cash.  Shelters and non-profit rescues are always in need of donations, both of money and essential items. Cash is always welcome and helpful! You can see if your local shelters and rescue have included a link to their donation page or Paypal by searching for them on Adopt-a-Pet.com here: www.adoptapet.com/animal-shelters –click on the shelter name, then look on the right for their “Donate to our Shelter” or “Donate to our Rescue Group” link, or their website link.

Donations of both new and used items are also often appreciated. Ask your shelter if they have a wish list. Shelters often can use donated food and treats, used kennels or crates that you no longer need, newspapers, old blankets, sheets, towels, and washable dog beds.

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Virtual "Pooch Protest" Launches Today

Campaign garners donations of much-needed flea and tick treatment to animal shelters nationwide

July 18, 2011

Release Link: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/7/prweb8647245.htm

An innovative national campaign designed to educate the public about the dangers of fleas and ticks while helping animal shelters protect the dogs in their care against the troublesome parasites launches today. In addition to its national online presence, the “Pooch Protest” campaign is featured on billboards which will begin in Charlotte, North Carolina, and then roll out to Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The “Pooch Protest” against fleas & ticks, a partnership between Bayer Animal Health and national pet-adoption charity Adopt-a-Pet.com, invites the public to visit http://www.PoochProtest.com, where they can register their dogs as members of the virtual protest. For every dog registered*, Bayer Animal Health, the makers of flea and tick preventive K9 Advantix® II, will donate a tube of the product to Adopt-a-Pet.com, who will, in turn, distribute the tubes to its member shelters and rescue groups across North America.

“Protecting pets in shelters from nasty parasites and pests is important for so many reasons,” says Adopt-a-Pet.com executive director Abbie Moore, “not the least of which is that a healthy pet, treated for fleas and ticks and other pests, is much more attractive to potential adopters. Treating with a flea and tick preventive can truly help to keep a shelter pet more comfortable and adoptable.”

David Meyer, president and co-founder of Adopt-a-Pet.com, stresses the importance of coming together as a community to help homeless pets. “There are many ways you can help animals,” says Meyer, “but this is perhaps one of the easiest ways of all. It just takes a computer and a few minutes to join, so that you can make a difference in countless lives.”

K9 Advantix® II is for use on dogs only. For more information, see http://www.PoochProtest.com.

What Body Language Indicates that My Dog Wants to Play?

Purina-Dog-Content-Brand When your puppy wants to play, he probably won’t try to play it cool. Instead, he’ll make a strong play for your attention by bowing or pawing the air.

The play-bow is the most common way that a dog invites a person or another pup to play. With his ears alert and tail wagging, a dog will stick his rear in the air while lowering his front end and stretching out his front paws. The gesture shows submissiveness, and communicates to other dogs that any nipping or chasing that come next are intended in the spirit of fun. During the play bow, a dog’s face will be relaxed and his lips loose – his teeth will not be bared in aggression. Sometimes a playful pup will also bark, as if to say in doggie-speak, “hey, come join me in a game!”